There’s Power in the Herd

6 min read

I am one of E I G H T kids. Four boys. Four girls. And two of the best parents a kid could ask for.

Guys.

I am pretty sure the first time I was alone was when I was 16, a freshly licensed driver, going to pick up my sister. I remember pulling out of the driveway with no one in the car, thinking… “Woah. This is a weird feeling”. I grew up in a house where we literally had assigned seats in the car, at the kitchen table, and in church. We shared rooms, we shared bathrooms, we shared closets, we shared snacks, we shared everything. There were a million of us. We had to.

I grew up with sayings like “ If you can’t get along with your sister, there’s no way you can get along with your friends” and “ Victoria, if you can remember the words to allllll your favorite songs there’s no excuse why you should ‘forget’ to clean the bathroom” and my Dads favorite… “Don’t test me girl, we’ve got seven other kids just like you”. My parents gave me the world. I didn’t have all the newest toys, any new technology, or even the latest and greatest light up shoes. But I grew up knowing that my parents loved me no matter what. They would call me out when my actions didn’t line up with who I was, and they would encourage me and make me laugh when life felt too hard. I could tell you about them for days. But what I want to explain is ‘The Herd’…

With so many kids, outings were always something that caught attention. I’m talking people would literally stop and stare. I can’t tell you how many times my parents took us to the Mall Santa for Christmas pictures and you could see people stop their shopping and just watch us. Like we were some sort of giant extinct pack of animals that they had never seen before and would never see again. It didn’t feel odd for us. Having less than 6 people at the dinner table- now THAT was weird.

Somewhere along the way, I started referring to us as ‘The Herd’. Eventually it caught on and now the whole family knows- we are ‘The Herd”. Daddio is the Herd Master, (No, this is not a technical term…but it sounds pretty cool so we go with it) and everyone with kids has created their own mini herd within the herd. We even have a group text titled “The Whole Herd” for easy communication. So it’s pretty official at this point.

Check out my instagram video to see where it all began!

 

There were times when I would mention to someone at work that I was “having dinner with the herd” or the “whole herd was headed out to the lake this weekend” and I would get funny looks.

“A herd?

Like a group of really big, dumb animals?

Why would you want to be referred to as that?”

***I’ve actually had people say that. How rude. Just so you know I’m holding up an imaginary finger and it is NOT my thumb, pointer finger, ring finger or pinkie.***

 Anyways.

Their mocking never really made sense. I had nicknamed us the herd but there was so much more to it than just referencing the SIZE of our group. Now I’m not a scientist, but in my head a herd represents a group that sticks together. A herd represents strength and power. A herd is something that is not easily moved or messed with. When moving together, a herd can make the ground shake. And most importantly, a herd is where individuals are at their safest and most protected. Together over the years I have felt the love and strength that comes with having a herd. When one of us has a hard time there is not a single person who wouldn’t wipe their plate clean and come to our aid. When my tire explodes at 4 am on my way to work- I know I can call any one of them for help. When my youngest brother spent a stretch of time in the ICU, the entire hospital staff talked about how different we were. We all rotated through day and night to hug each other, talk to our baby brother, hold Mom’s hand when she could not keep it together, or pray with Dad when the weight of the setting became too much. When someone needs something you can almost feel the power of each heart lineup alongside you; Ready, and willing to fight with you and for you for as long as it takes. It’s like there’s a deep knowing that even when shit hits the fan or life kicks you down, you’re never alone.

So ya… It’s a silly name. It’s a silly idea.

But one of the most exciting things about starting a family of my own is that they will be exposed to the power of the herd. They will experience a love and support like nothing else in this world. They will grow up with cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents who have their back, who know and believe the best about them, and who stand in the gap when they can’t see it for themselves. The herd started out because my parents had the foresight to see that family is important- and when it’s done right, it can create a force and an energy that can move mountains.

#HerdStrong reminds us that we are stronger together. We can bless people bigger, we can stand up for people easier, we can rally like you’ve never seen, and we can love a heck of a lot farther than if we tried to wander through life on our own. So ya, we were pointed at when all 10 of us would pile out of the van as kids… but that fades. And our mission to give big love and speak life into the world only gets BIGGER and STRONGER with the birth of each new tiny herd member.

My herd is connected by blood, but yours doesn’t have to be. You get to pick your own. And if you’re starting a family like I am, I’d say thats a pretty great place to start. But no matter what you do or where you start, don’t ever underestimate the power of the herd.